Camarillo animal shelter achieves "no-kill" percentages

Ventura County’s animal shelter in Camarillo has officially been a “no kill” facility for the first three months of 2014, having achieved live-release rates of over 90 percent, new Animal Services Director Tara Diller said Thursday.

To qualify as a “no kill” facility, a shelter must have a live-release rate of at least 90 percent, said Diller, who started in February.

The shelter achieved a record high rate of 93 percent in March, she said. Only once before, for a week in January 2013, did it have at least a 90 percent rate, said Deputy Director Donna Gillesby.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with me,” Diller said, noting January’s “no kill” rate occurred before she began. “I think it has to do with the organization being stabilized. I think it has to do with positions being filled and all of us being able to focus on what we need to focus on.”

While a 100 percent live-release rate would be ideal, “the reality is there is a percentage of animals that come into our care that are too ill or injured to be saved,” she said.